Peace of Mind
by Jonquil Gemstone
Summary: Captain Kuro: a ruthless pirate known for intricate plans. He wants two things: wealth and peace of mind. Yet, I couldn't help but think he was jeopardizing the one he wanted most for wealth. What if...Klahadore really did care about Miss Kaya, the recently orphaned rich girl who trusted him to no end as her butler? Takes places in volumes 4 and 5 of the manga, his debut as Kuro!
1. Chapter 1

**I began reading One Piece a couple of days ago, and I simply couldn't stand seeing how tragically heartless Klahadore/Kuro was about Miss Kaya! Thankfully, a good fanfiction author can take what's already there and twist it into something else to fit his/her own fantasies!**

 **A special thanks to my friend (you know who you are), who let me borrow the manga for a while!**

 **I give you a "what if?" arc for this early piece of the story! What if Captain Kuro** _ **wasn't**_ **a totally heartless, horrible villain with psychopathic tendencies? What if…he actually** _ **cared**_ **about the sickly girl who loved him so much?!**

 **I do not own One Piece (because I'm not nearly so random, nor can I draw so much manga by hand)!**

As the inimitable Klahadore strolls back toward Miss Kaya's estate, he contemplates the plans he discussed with his first mate, Django. At dawn of the next day, the Black Cat pirates are to strike the peaceful village. Kaya will die in a terrible "accident", leaving her vast fortune to her faithful servant, Klahadore. All of this is perfectly clear to his entire crew…except for one detail.

As soon as Kaya is dead and his fortune secure, he needs one thing: _peace of mind_. In order for his past as a pirate to fully end, he must dispose of his entire crew. They'll be willing to keep his secret—out of fear, if nothing else—however, if even one of them should let it slip that Captain Kuro is alive, his plans for the future would fail miserably. He _cannot_ permit his final plan to go astray, even if it means slaughtering everyone he ever met!

"Evening, Mr. Klahadore!" one of the villagers greets him cheerfully as he passes by. Sparing a return greeting, he is about to continue on his way when the villager says something important. "You might want to check on Miss Kaya: that Usopp tried to kidnap her earlier today! Can you believe it?"

"Miss Kaya? I must go see to her immediately, then! Thank you for telling me." Bowing in thanks, Klahadore hustles past him, the perfect image of a concerned butler. Warning a disbelieving village is one thing…but trying to kidnap his keystone pawn is another! _No matter,_ Klahadore tells himself, _he's only alienated himself further. Now I have full reason to increase security around Miss Kaya's estate._ The plan continues unimpeded.

Upon entering the estate, he is greeted by Merry, one of Kaya's other trusted servants. The goat-horned man tells Klahadore everything about the day's ordeal.

"To think he would stoop to such animalistic violence! Miss Kaya is devastated at how far he's fallen." Merry concludes his narrative. "And to think, even after all that, she _still_ cared about his safety. She really is a kind lady" he wipes his eyes with a handkerchief, overcome with emotion over the heiress' overwhelming charity.

"Indeed, she is." Klahadore agrees. "Her parents would certainly be proud; however, we cannot leave security so loose anymore. From now on, we must contribute all our security to protecting Miss Kaya from that pirate-born scum."

"Of course, Klahadore. He has proven far too dangerous to be anywhere near the estate."

"Speaking of which," Klahadore changes the subject, "where's Miss Kaya?"

"She's already gone to bed" Merry explains. "Today's excitement exhausted her."

"To think all of that happened while I was over in the next town!" Klahadore straightens his tie. _Why do I feel like something's strangling me?_ "That Usopp is a trouble-maker."

"He even accused you of being a pirate" Merry laughs as though the very idea is preposterous. "What a story-teller!" his fingers float over a nearby table as if he might have to support himself from the force of laughing. Klahadore turns away from him and heads to a window.

"Heh heh…" he fakes his own chuckle. _These three years have made me soft._ Klahadore berates himself for not even looking him in the eye. _This should be hilarious! After all, he doesn't even suspect the possibility of my being a pirate, let alone a fugitive captain!_ Instead of a bold-faced lie, or even commenting on Usopp being no laughing matter anymore, all Kuro says is "Yes." Something catches his eye near the windowsill. It's a package wrapped in a lovely ribbon. Picking it up, he inspects it. "What's this?"

"Oh, yes!" Merry snaps to attention again, his mood brighter than it might have been all day. He certainly lives up to his name. "That's a gift for you from Miss Kaya. Tomorrow will be exactly three years since you came to this estate" he explains while Klahadore simply stares at the present. Something about this gift gives the latter an inkling of emotion. "An anniversary, of sorts." Curious, Klahadore pushes his glasses up with the heel of his hand and opens the present. The wrappings rustle under his touch as he gently pushes them away and finds a carefully made replica of his spectacles.

"Anniversary, eh?" For some reason, the idea surprises him a little. Nobody ever celebrated an anniversary on his ship: he was always too busy sketching out his next plan, escaping the navy, battling rivals, or simply belittling his crew and bemoaning his life. The only days of note were crescent moons. They remind him of a cat's claw in the sky. It says a lot about the progress of his plan that Kaya finds the day she met him worth celebrating.

"Your glasses are always slipping…" Merry dabs at his eyes, once again turning emotional at how sweet their mistress is, "so Miss Kaya had these specially made for you." Unexpectedly, Klahadore's heart clenches at the thought of her going through the trouble of coordinating this little, personalized surprise without his knowing it. She has to have taken his schedule, his location, his connections into account. She needed to get his measurements just right and hire the right people to get the job done.

 _It was like she made her own little plans…_ It reminds him of something he might have done, once upon a time.

"She's such a generous, thoughtful person" Merry could not see Klahadore's eyes. Tomorrow, dear Miss Kaya _will_ die. That is the plan, and that is what's _necessary_ for his security—financially and mentally.

"Yes, she is…" Klahadore says truthfully, "tomorrow will be a special day indeed."

"Huh?" Merry catches on to his dark meaning. The former pirate captain has to act before his resolve can waver. The past three years have made him soft. Klahadore looks out the window at the moon.

"There's a crescent moon out tonight" _It's now or never._ Either Klahadore backs down, or he lays his decision down in blood. Such a contract cannot be broken. He drops the special glasses—the fruits of Kaya's careful planning—and knows exactly how to squash any remorse. "Nights like this do something to me. They bring out the beast in me." Crunch! His plan trumps Kaya's any day.

"No!" Merry exclaims in horror. He doesn't know horror…yet. "K-Klahadore!? Why did you destroy Miss Kaya's gift!?"

"Oh, I'll accept a gift from her…" Klahadore's voice drops an octave, a sinister smile playing across his thin lips, "but not some paltry trinket. I'd prefer her entire estate!" he turns his face to Merry so he can see the true beast within—the side of himself he succeeded in hiding for so long!

"But…what…" Merry is the picture of pure shock. It's too late for Klahadore to play it off like a joke. He'd destroyed Kaya's present for him and shown his true colors.

"There's no need for me to continue this charade" he stalks towards Merry, pushing his glasses up the same way as before. For now, this is still him. For just a few more hours, he'll be Kuro, the cold-blooded killer whose only respect is taken through fear. "In a few hours the—ahem— _accident_ will happen." As Merry's face morphs into a mask of horror, Kuro extends his long cat claws. His voice lowers into a bloodthirsty purr. "Three years is a long time to wait."

"Miss Kaya! You must run-!" Kuro strikes Merry down before the tears have a chance to roll down the goat-man's face. Thankfully, they're far enough away from her room so Kaya never hears Merry's futile warning. If she finds the body, Kuro can simply say he was attacked by a pirate. That's close enough to the truth, at any rate.

The rest of that night, Kuro spends his time by making the room look like there was a struggle. Sitting beneath the sunlight the next morning, he pushes up his glasses again.

"They're late." _The village should be a pile of dust by now!_ "Curse those swabs…" Irked beyond measure, Klahadore remembers how he left Merry where he fell, in a pool of blood. The sentimental goat-man is dead. It'd be difficult to brush that off without the excuse of a pirate invasion. "They know the penalty for ruining my plans" he only lost a few unfortunate members that way before they caught on. "They're dilly-dallying!" Kuro stands up. _Is three years enough for them to forget so easily?_ "But if they need a reminder…" he exits the front gate and heads for the north beach, his face a scowl of doom, "I'll put them all to death!"

He brings his duffel bag, just in case he needs a cover-up. If anyone asks, he's off to get Miss Kaya's lovely gift for him fixed.


	2. Chapter 2

Imagine Klahadore's irritation when he arrives at the beach to find his entire crew bested by a small band of _children_! They all look so pathetic, shivering in the all-too-familiar wave of Arctic fear at the sight of their captain.

"AAAH!" Django screams like a little girl. "Oh, uh, sir…we hit a few snags!" The fighting stops all throughout the pass, and the Meowban brothers mew and gulp like frightened kittens.

Klahadore…pushes his glasses up his nose with the heel of his hand, as he always does to avoid his claws. Immediately, his crew breaks into a panic.

"C-Ca-Captain…KURO!"

"H-He'll kill us all!" So, they _haven't_ forgotten…

"It's long past dawn, but…" Kuro begins speaking while they still tremble in their boots, "you seem to be having trouble following my plan." He lets his rage show in his voice as he shouts " _What in Neptune's name is going on?_ " A moment of dead silence ensues—broken only by the straw-hat boy's snoring—until Django gulps and explains the situation.

Klahadore listens, silent as Death, until his first mate finishes. He couldn't believe how pathetic it all is!

"Are you telling me these children held you up!?" Klahadore stands in the middle of the pass, still holding his duffle bag…stunned. "Is this what the pirates of the Black Cat have come to?" Again, no one dares speak up. " _Is that it, Django!?"_

"B-But _you_ said it didn't matter if we let the kid go…" he can see the sweat dripping off Django's stuttering face, "that's what you said!"

"Yes, I said that…" _Why didn't I get rid of him?_ It would have aroused suspicion. No one would believe a word he says. There are a million viable reasons, and yet… _Why didn't I do it?_ "And I was right! It shouldn't have been a problem! Anyone could have predicted that he would try to thwart us." Klahadore refuses to back down on his position. He gives Django a disgusted snarl. "But I didn't expect your defenses to be so feeble! I'm in no mood to hear excuses." The previous night, as well as this unexpected delay, put Klahadore into a foul mood, indeed.

"'Feeble,' says he? Us!?" Meowban Siam hisses indignantly.

"Care to say that again, Cap'n Kuro?" Butchie flexes his claws. Could this be a possible mutiny the Meowbans are attempting?

"Maybe you w _ere_ strong…once." Siam cracks his clawed hands, veins bulging.

"You have something to say?" Honestly, Klahadore felt tired and cranky this whole morning, but the Meowban's uprising may serve to put him back in the mood for what comes next.

" _Avast! Butchie, Siam, belay that!"_ Django tries to warn his crewmates before they get themselves killed. He still has his natural intuition about the captain—an intuition which hardly ever fails to hit its mark.

"A lot can change in three years! _We_ ain't been living in a fancy mansion, getting slow and soft!" Siam yowls.

"We plundered countless villages…" Butchie raises his hands to emphasize the magnitude of their achievements, "we sent many a rival crew down to see Davy Jones!"

" _You'll find we ain't so easy to kill! Sometimes things don't go as planned!_ " Siam continues in a frenzy.

" _You've been out of action for three years! You think you can beat the sharp claws of the Meowban brothers?_ " Butchie adds with bloodlust in his eyes.

Klahadore hears the rest of his crew murmuring among themselves. He pushes his glasses up again. _So, they think they have a shot at me because I haven't been in action, do they? We'll see about that._ He doubts they would even dare. Where are the days when a single glance could shut down a mutiny? Then again, this means his plan to detach himself from the pirate life is working.

"You ain't our captain no more!" Butchie yells with what seems almost like…a hint of desperation? No, impossible. Surely, his crew doesn't care for him on an emotional level. This rather shakes Klahadore's decision to dispatch them at the first excuse.

" _If you're just gonna kill us anyway, we'll kill you first!_ " Siam has a hissing rage-filled scream, but he sounds almost hurt by the prospect of being killed by his former captain. The brothers combine their attack and slash…Klahadore's duffle bag. Captain Kuro stands behind them with his claws fully extended.

"Who…" He purrs menacingly, his face shadowed, "are you going to kill?" The Meowban brothers stiffen in sheer terror. They realize their mistake…only after making it.

"He pulled a…a… _pussyfoot maneuver!_ " The Black Cat pirates react in horror, as if the confirmation of their fears is somehow shocking. That is what happens when all hope is lost.

"He got behind us!" Siam snarls as he and his brother whirl around to try and face him. They find nothing but thin and suddenly chilled air behind them. "Huh?"

"He's…not there." Butchie remarks, the desolation obvious in his voice. Every second in battle proves them dead wrong. Kuro never loses skill…he only gains it.

"You two were right." Butchie yowls when Kuro's arms suddenly appear around his and his brother's shoulders. "I _have_ gotten soft." Siam hisses, undoubtedly ready to kick the litterbox rather than face whatever infamous punishment might be in store for him. "It's true I'm not your captain anymore…" Kuro ignores the brothers' shock at his lightning speed, "but I hired you to do a job! And the penalty for failure is death!"

"Nobody ever outmaneuvered the Meowban brothers before!" a crewman exclaims.

"What did you expect?" Django surprises everyone with his nonchalant acceptance. He hadn't spoken a word throughout the whole attempted mutiny, and now he grabs his hat and raises a hand, the way he does whenever recalling something. "Captain Kuro's _pussyfoot maneuver…_ is a technique for undetectable movement. You could gather 50 assassins, and they'd all be dead before they knew he was near. We've got to carry out his plan." Here his voice goes from a low monotone to a rare hoarse whisper. "When I saw him for the first time in three years, and saw that habit of his, I shivered. To avoid scratching his face with his 'cat claws'…he pushes his glasses up his nose like that. It's proof that he hasn't forgotten how to kill!"

The crew gulps, horror-stricken at their situation. If they fail, as they might have already, they all die. Indeed, now they realize just how lucky they are to be alive. Kuro gently digs the tips of his index claws into the Meowbans' necks, drawing blood and screams. Why can't he just kill them? They would make excellent examples. The crew could manage their job without them.

"Three years of inaction…" he says, almost to himself at first, then to show them how close they are to death, "have softened my heart." Kuro raises his voice so the rest can hear him clearly. "You've got five minutes." _Why can't I bring myself to kill them?_ He wonders. A vein bulges from his troubled forehead. "If everything isn't sorted out by then… _I'll kill every last one of you with my own hands._ " his voice rings out through the pass, like a death knell for his former crew. If he does slaughter them, what then? He may have to pretend he knows nothing in order to keep his mild-mannered reputation intact. Thankfully, the reaction is a wave of panicking determination.

The battle continues for two full minutes. Klahadore could intervene at any moment. He could further his own plan at little to no cost. All he has to do is kill the brats in his way, but he consistently lets every reason slip away. To be honest, he doesn't feel much like slaughtering children today. He used to be so bloodthirsty…but that was Captain Kuro. The whole purpose of this plan…is to do away with him. If he has to choose between wealth or peace of mind…maybe wealth would be the most paltry trinket of all.

Kuro remembers the same words he used to describe Kaya's gift. He doesn't want to kill her, but as long as he remains her butler…Pushing these thoughts away, Kuro reminds his crew of their mission.

"Three minutes left before I massacre everyone" the words sound to him as if far away, like someone else is saying them. Usually, he would find amusement, irritation, or any sort of feeling from seeing his crew panic, but today there is nothing at all. _Maybe they won't reach the village,_ he thought. _If I kill them all here, things will go back to the same 'normal' as these past three years._ Suddenly, he hears a faint shuffling behind him. His back stiffens. He would recognize those weak, shuffling steps anywhere: they sought him out many a night when she had nightmares…

" _Klahadore! Stop!_ " Kuro's heart sinks when he hears his frail young charge yell and sees her trying her best to look regal and in control. A chaos ensues from that annoying Usopp and Django recognizing her.

 _So much for that course of action,_ Kuro thinks. Now he really _does_ have to kill her, no matter what.

 **I do not own One Piece: I'm just temporarily usurping the characters and storyline for my own purposes.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Then we don't need to sack the village?" one of his crewmen asks while the Straw-Hat Boy stares dumbstruck at this latest development in the battle for the village. "We just gotta kill the girl, right?"

"What a lovely surprise, Miss Kaya." Klahadore pushes up his glasses. If he's not mistaken, it feels like a bit of sweat is on his forehead. _This wasn't supposed to happen._ His primary target is his crew—Kaya might have survived before from his softened heart—but now there's no easy way to save her. If she survives, she'll never trust him again…and neither will the villagers…unless he plays it off as fever-induced hallucinations. "What brings you here?" he asks as if simply bumping into her at the local baker's shop. For now, saving her is only a secondary goal, as from the very beginning.

"Merry told me everything" Kaya tells him.

"Merry? He lived?" Kuro is actually stunned that he left the other butler alive. "I thought…" _I must've held back…_ "I had killed him." Kaya's face betrays utter shock. _She entertained some hope of my innocence,_ he realizes. _Even after finding me red-handed, with my claws out?_ She must have hoped he would be protecting her friends, or would have a change of heart and save the village. _Too bad_.

Klahadore zones out while she and Usopp share a dramatic exchange. They're both willing to risk their lives for their home. He faintly notes that she apologizes to the village liar for not believing him.

 _How ironic,_ he thinks. Not only does she have every reason to justify herself, but Kuro remembers a time when she would have hesitated to apologize for anything.

" _Klahadore! If you want my fortune, I'll give it to you!_ " Kaya screams in an attempt to negotiate. Clearly, she is in a fever with cold sweat dripping all over her body. " _Just take it and leave the village alone!_ " Klahadore remembers what he said to Merry the night before about preferring her whole estate as a gift. Here she is, offering it to him freely…yet it's not really what he wants, he realizes. He wants peace of mind, and there's only one way to get it from here on.

"Not good enough, Miss Kaya. Yes, I want your fortune, but I also want _peace of mind_. I spent three years earning the trust of the villagers here." Kuro decides to confide in her, like she always does in him. She used to talk, but now she must listen carefully. "I've grown comfortable; I can even relax." Without his realizing it, a fond half-smile plays across his lips as he recalls someone casually greeting him as he strolls absent-mindedly down a street. The more he speaks, Klahadore realizes he already has what he wants…and all he has to do is secure it once and for all. "Only when I have that peace of mind and your wealth…" even as he says it, Klahadore realizes he really does no longer care for the latter as much as he used to, "will my plan have been accomplished" he spreads his claws as if stating a perfectly logical chain of reasoning. Still, Klahadore bows his head and secretly berates himself for his blindness when he continues. "Thus the pirate attack on the village…and your _accidental_ demise…are both quite essential." The last statement seems almost counter-productive. The only thing standing between him and his true goal is his past, and the way to get rid of it has always been to eliminate his crew…but without the village, he would have to regain trust elsewhere if too few people survived. Why not stay happily where he is? He wouldn't have to worry about finances or robberies as a butler…

"Kaya, run! Don't waste your breath on him! He's not the man you knew!" Usopp yells for the sickly girl to run. A pathetically flawed strategy. Does she have a better one?

Kaya draws the pistol Klahadore had given her parents the year they took him in. He frowns, not only because of her defiance, but because her facial expression—the way her mouth curved into a frown and her eyebrows slanted over cold eyes—reminds Kuro of himself.

" _Leave this village alone!_ " she yells at the top of her fragile lungs.

"Hmm, you've really grown in the last three years…" _And Captain Kuro follows you around, too._ "And I've been at your side for all the changes, haven't I?" Indeed, Klahadore wonders if his influence may have kindled a darker side of generous Miss Kaya. "Even before you lost your parents and became ill…you and I spent a lot of time together. We went sailing together…" _At a time when I was loath to go back to the water._ "Took trips into town…When you had a fever, I stayed at your bedside day and night…" as Kuro speaks, Kaya's face contorts the way it does when she's about to cry. _She must be remembering, too_. "I suffered with you…I laughed with you." The manipulation is painful…but perhaps it's time to take a less honest approach. "I was ever your humble servant! I humored you, Miss Kaya, in all your silly dreams. And I endured it…"

Miss Kaya's eyes plead with Kuro not to continue, but he _has_ to drive the nail in. He has a new plan now, one that involves demolishing any hope Kaya may still hold for him.

" _All for today! The day I could kill you!_ " That does it.

Kaya bites her lips while tears stream like a river down her face.

"I, who was once the dread Captain Kuro…" if she was paying attention earlier, she might realize he refers to himself as that which he strove to get away from; thankfully, the act is convincing enough to make her lower her hands in increasing sorrow. Kuro sees Usopp growing angrier in his peripheral vision. "Bowed and scraped to a spoiled little girl…and catered to her every whim day and night." Kuro has to look at his claws and smile. His new plan is working brilliantly, but he can't look Kaya directly in the eyes anymore. She looks the way she did when her parents died. "Can you fathom my humiliation?"

Kaya's pistol falls from her shaking hands onto the ground beneath. So, she's still a soft heart.

" _Kuro!_ " Usopp tries to attack him, but of course he dodges.

"Usopp…that reminds me…" _The hard part is over,_ Kuro tells himself, _now to incapacitate Usopp_. "I still owe you for hitting me. You hit me with all your might!" It's a feeble excuse, but at least it gives him a reason to strike him down so he's out of the battle. At the expected time, something unexpected happens.

Of course, Kuro knew someone would rescue Usopp…but he didn't expect a stretchy rubber arm to fly at his face and knock him off his feet!

 **Ah, Kuro, infamous for his intricate, confusing plans…I knew we had something in common!**

 **Sadly, I do not own him or One Piece. I** _ **would**_ **wish I did…but if this is the artist's mind, it's a place I simply** _ **cannot**_ **replicate!**


	4. Chapter 4

The crew expects him to be mad…but all Kuro can feel is a strange curiosity. That is _by far_ the weirdest way anyone has ever punched him in the face!

" _Now!_ " Kuro hears children, and suddenly Usopp's three brats are beating him—a deadly pirate captain—in the face with wreckless abandon. Everyone present—even his crew—fear for the children's lives, but Kuro merely stays down and lets them have their fill of violence. To his mild surprise, Usopp finally orders them off.

"All right! That oughta teach him!" The tallest one, Carrot, declares proudly. Kuro listens motionlessly as Usopp tries to make them leave. Indeed, the battlefield is no place for small children like them. Oddly enough, none of his crew members attack or make any move to help. All the better.

 _Enough playing around,_ Kuro decides. He gets up, pushes his now-broken glasses up his nose, and kicks Usopp down again (he'd sat up during the exchange) after giving the children a scare.

"Captain!" Usopp's make-believe pirate crew cries out as they witness their ringleader flying a bit.

 _Hopefully, that showed them this isn't a game._ Kuro faces the Straw-Hat Boy. "That smarted a bit…you displayed an unusual ability. You must have the power…of the Devil Fruit!"

" _That's right! I ate the Gum-Gum fruit! I'm a Gum-Gum man!_ " the lad declares, as if the statement was not even the slightest bit amusing. Apparently, Django's chakram did nothing to him…Kuro has to think fast.

If he leaves to go after Miss Kaya as he intended, the crew might leave out of cowardice. If he sends the most incompetent members, they'll all know something's amiss. However, if he only sends one person…

'Django! _I'll kill the Gum-Gum man!_ You just deal with Miss Kaya! Force her to write the will, as planned, then…kill her!" At least having her write the will at the last minute can help gain her some time. He remembers the three young children there, too. "And those three nipping pups, too…They're a nuisance." Now all four of them _have_ to leave, with their only threat being Django.

"Aye-aye, Cap'n." Django moves up the slope. The bandana-wearing swordsman on the Gum-Gum man's crew tries to block him from his path, but he's distracted by Butchie.

A _ll of this is buying them time,_ Kuro seethes internally. _Why don't they just go!?_

" _Usopp's pirates!_ " Usopp shouts, still paralyzed on the ground. At first, they seem to think he's setting them on Django. Thankfully, even Usopp is smarter than that. " _Protect Miss Kaya!_ "

The three boys and Miss Kaya all react with surprise, but Kuro simply looks on. _Finally, that boy has some form of sense._

" _I'm entrusting you men with the most important job of all! Get Kaya away from here safely!_ "

 _Is that the most important job of all?_ Kuro asks himself. _Could I be protecting Miss Kaya…only because I want to keep her safe?_ He could have carried out his plan by now, killing Kaya and his crew. He could have returned to the village and pinned the blame on Usopp, who would also be dead…now preserving Kaya and every one of the children seems to have only one potential outcome: his own exile. _Could it be that I…actually do care about her, after all?_

"Fools." Kuro returns to the real world just after the boys and Kaya start running. Django pulls out his chakram. "You can't escape me."

"Hurry, Miss Kaya!" the boys tug at her arm, leading her away.

"Once we reach the trees, we're in our own backyard!" Onion, the smart one, has the right idea. In a place where they know the land and can't be seen, they'll have a greater chance of survival.

Kuro may be imagining things, but he could swear he sees Kaya looking back with a look that says "Ah", as if…amidst the desolation, she entertains a glimmer of hope that her Klahadore will come through for her. _I doubt she realizes I'm trying to save her._ Kuro feels almost like sighing. _Goodbye, comfortable life._ Even without any hope of regaining his stature, a weight is lifted when he sees the dedication in Usopp's crew. Maybe…just maybe…they could preserve Miss Kaya long enough for him to dispatch his crew and go after Django.

"I won't let you escape!" Django calls, twirling his circular weapons like the jester he is. "Fly, lethal stars—Oof!" Usopp downs him with a single hit from his slingshot. Of course, the hypnotist takes the time to whine. "Little bilge-rat…Owie!"

 _Of course!_ Kuro recalls something about his first mate. _He was always a softie for children._ Chances are, he'll give them a scare and—if Kaya plays her cards right—put off killing the youngest three for later. "Django! Get up and follow them!"

"Argh…Aye-aye!" Django holds down his hat and runs off in the direction of the children and Miss Kaya. Kuro faces Usopp and the other youths.

"It's useless. I, more than anyone, know how frail that girl's body is…They'll never escape Django!" He tells them all they need to know for motivation. "Run for help, if you wish." At this point, Kuro already regards his reputation as lost. "But…you'll have to get up this slope first!" He wants them to win, but they'll try harder if they think otherwise.


	5. Chapter 5

Klahadore continues to goad them into climbing the slope if they can, knowing full well that's precisely what they intend to do. His continued act of not caring about Miss Kaya gives them motivation. If they can save her but see him as the villain, so be it. Her trust in him is shattered beyond repair, anyway.

It gives Usopp strength to try running, and that prompts the swordsman to battle Butchie again. Fueled by rage, the swordsman defeats Butchie and lifts Usopp onto one shoulder.

" _So, boy…who gave you permission to climb this slope?_ " Klahadore purrs, thinking about triggering the Gum-Gum man's rage and having a battle to allow Usopp and the swordsman to escape.

" _I did!_ " the Gum-Gum man sends a rubbery fist flying towards him. Kuro didn't see it the last time…though now he understands his crew's initial reaction better. To put it bluntly, the sight is _freaky_. Nevertheless, Kuro fights without missing a step, using effortless dodges to evade his attacks.

"Before we fight, seriously, I have one question…" This question gnawed at Kuro ever since he first saw this young man's determination to stay and fight. "Why are you, an outsider, sticking your neck out for this village?" _I've been here for three years, and I was willing to turn it to dust until this morning,_ he wonders. _What reason do you have that I don't?_ The Gum-Gum man only pauses for a second before answering. He stares at Klahadore with a look that says 'you don't get it?'

"' _Cause there's someone in this village I don't want you to kill._ " The reason he gives is the same reason, Klahadore realizes, as the one he himself has. He doesn't want to kill _anyone_ in this village, as a matter of fact—not even the town liar! The promptness, though…the complete lack of any doubt or hesitation…it surprises Klahadore even more than the answer itself.

"Ah, how simple. Is it enough…to die for?" _This is it,_ Klahadore thinks, _the moment of truth._ Either it's enough to sacrifice everything for, or it's a waste of time when push comes to shove.

"It's good enough for me! But _I'm_ not gonna get killed!" the battle commences.

"Die." _Lose everything,_ Kuro tells the Gum-Gum man. _Sacrifice it all like I have to. Tell me if it's worth it then!_

"Not today." After a few quick moves, Kuro runs up the lad's arm and kicks him in the face. "Darn. I cut my lip" the boy spits out a tooth and glares at Kuro the way one would glare at any prick.

" _Hooray for Captain Kuro!_ " his crew cheers at his apparent victory. Kuro pushes his glasses up. The name is like nails on a chalkboard to him. " _Ku-ro! Ku-ro!_ "

" _Never call me by that name!_ " Kuro yells at the top of his lungs. He simply can't take it anymore! Enough of the charades, of the endless cycles of deception. Look where that gets him! It's time to end this. Silence falls on everyone present, the cheering and the banter dead on their lips. "You still don't understand? My plan is to utterly do away…with _Captain Kuro_!"

This is it.

"It tired me…crafting a thousand plans for slobbering fools with nothing but plunder on their minds! And what did my hard work win me? The entire navy on my heels! Hunted by the navy and spies and bounty hunters…I grew sick of the relentless harassment. So, on that fateful day three years ago…I decided I had to die!"

 **Next chapter, the REAL alteration begins!**

 **I do not own One Piece (Hear that, Oda-sensei? I'm not about to commit** _ **piracy**_ **here! Eh? Nothing? Okay, then. ~sigh~ What have I become?).**


	6. Chapter 6

"I never intended to let _any_ of you leave here alive. I can't let anyone live who knows my true identity." Klahadore finally lets the cat out of the bag. The reaction is shock, dismay…and pain? Surely, they only fear for their own lives.

"But that means…you planned to kill us all along!" his crew wails.

"Of course. Even three years ago when I was still Captain Kuro! It was all part of my plan!"

"Are you stupid?" the Straw-Hat boy remarks. "What a dumb bunch of pirates."

"Dumb? Of course! Pirates are wild dogs, society's cast-offs. Without a leader, they're helpless. Their job was to shut up and follow my plan!" Before he knows it, Kuro vents every philosophy he's ever had to this young fellow. "Pirates should be faithful pawns of their captain. They live or die by my command. They should have followed my plan no matter what sprang up to meet them. They should have died to fulfill my plan! _That's the way of the pirate!_ " That's also another reason not to be one. " _Vagabond brats should keep their mouths shut!_ " Vagabond brats like Usopp and this admirable but dense young man, who think piracy is just a fun adventure out at sea like in their silly pretend-games!

"Even if you were a captain with a hundred obedient men…you still couldn't beat Usopp!" the Straw-Hat boy says in dead seriousness.

"What? Me? Lose to a _pretend_ pirate? Ha ha ha! How amusing!" Kuro laughs. Does he think being a pirate has to do with nobility? "Tell me, _why_ would I lose to him?"

"It's your style!"

"What?!" _What is he talking about?_

"You don't even look like a real pirate!" Apparently, the Straw-Hat boy has it in his head that a pirate must look like a ruffian and look tough…yet act with heroism.

"If you want to talk about _real_ pirates, let me show you just how terrifying a real pirate can be! I'll show you the ferocity of a pirate who's faced a thousand deaths!" Slouching, Kuro faintly hears his soon-to-be-dead crew begging for mercy. Only when his environment is completely obliterated from his senses does he yowl " _Out-of-the-bag!_ " He can vaguely hear muffled versions of his crews agonized cries melting together, along with a faint vein of rage presumably from the Gum-Gum man. Without warning, Kuro finds himself thrown unto the ground by the Straw-Hat boy.

"Gotcha!" he announces triumphantly, an almost frightening smile on his angry, scarred face. Kuro looks around.

"Look at this. It's all _your_ fault." _This isn't what I'd hoped for._ "Instead of dying quickly, my poor crew is suffering." All around, he can hear the distinct moaning of the Black Cat pirate crew, the dripping of blood from fresh wounds. "Anyway…you go help Kaya, and I'll finish off these scalawags." He notices an odd look on the Gum-Gum man's face. "You have something to say?"

"I do." The boy clenches his fists. "I'm never going to become a pirate like _you_."

"And I wouldn't want you to. Now, go save Miss Kaya."

 **Next: I'll be going** _ **way**_ **off-course (heh) from the manga. I hope you like it!**

 **I do not own One Piece (by the way, Kuro's a really good villain; it's hard to make him get a happy ending or go straight-and-narrow!)**


	7. Chapter 7

"Captain Kuro…gave his orders." Kuro hears Django tell the children as he draws near them. "You're all to be killed!" Django kicks the boy into a tree, and the child crumbles to the forest floor with his two companions.

"If you don't stop hurting them…I'll take my own life! Then you'll _never_ have my will!" She raises a bladed ring to her throat.

"What?! Let's not be hasty! You have to write that will or I'm in big trouble!"

"Oh, Django…" Kuro steps into the tree-filtered light with a feline step. "You already are in big trouble."

"C-Ca-Captain!" Django stutters madly. "I-I can explain! She wouldn't be hypnotized, and these brats here-"

"Enough!" Kuro pushes what's left of his glasses up his nose with the heel of his hand, claws extended.

"Klahadore! You didn't…" Kaya stares in horror at them, a new flood of tears in her eyes.

"You left your chakram within reach of her, and you failed to kill even those three." Django's knees quake while Kuro takes stock. "Clearly, you're incapable of carrying out my plans. Luckily for you, my new plan actually _relied_ on your incompetence."

"New plan, sir?" Django asks.

"My plan to preserve Miss Kaya's life long enough for help to arrive. You see, it's hard to strive for wealth when I've already won peace of mind, only to give up what I've always wanted. Besides…I've become rather fond of my little pawn."

"I…I don't understand…"

"Klahadore…" Kaya's voice is barely above a whisper. "Does this mean…?"

"I'll tell you later, Miss Kaya." Klahadore pushes up the frames of his glasses once more. "For now, it's about time for Django to join his crew."

" _There she is!_ " Usopp shouts from the distance. While the swordsman carrying him rushes to Kaya's aid, Klahadore ponders whether to kill Django before he reaches them.

"Captain Kuro-" that does it. Klahadore suddenly appears behind Django, making him yelp in fright.

"Captain Kuro…is dead." Those are the last words Django hears before Klahadore leaves him motionless on the ground.

 **I do not own One Piece.**


	8. Chapter 8

Kuro spends his time tending to everyone's wounds and disposing of evidence until at last everyone can relax. Usopp, his 'pirate crew', and Miss Kaya gather in the woods, Usopp sitting on a tree stump. Klahadore stands off to the side, not meeting anyone's eyes.

It's been a long time since he's felt guilt, but now it feels overwhelming. Kaya has not spoken a word to him ever since he defeated Django right in front of her. Not even Usopp seems sure of how to react to the revelation of his true loyalties. For now, everyone ignores him.

" _Can we keep this a secret?_ " Usopp surprises them all. " _Everything that happened here?_ "

Immediately, the youngest voice their opinions. He should tell everyone! He'd be the village hero! They fought hard to save the village!

"Usopp…" Kaya's voice fades.

"They should know what you did." To everyone's shock, Klahadore advocates telling everyone the day's battle. "But I'd like to hear your reasoning."

"This attack was unusual. Pirates hardly ever bother to raid out-of-the-way villages like ours." Usopp shoots him a look. "That knowledge makes everyone here feel safe. Why ruin their peace of mind?" Usopp's use of the term 'peace of mind' strikes Klahadore. "Nothing happened. It was just another of Usopp's lies. I can't force you, but…"

Usopp's crew agrees to take their secret to the grave.

"So will I." Klahadore vows. "And I truly am sorry…for everything. You do understand why I incapacitated you, right Usopp?"

"I don't like it, but yeah." Usopp rests his elbows on his knees. "I get that you wanted me out of harm's way—I mean, who wouldn't?! But…"

"Why did you say all those awful things to me?" Kaya wiped the tears away at the memories. Kuro went and kneeled in front of her, offering a handkerchief the way he always does. She accepts it hesitantly.

"Miss Kaya…" he takes a deep breath. It is as liberating to tell the truth as it is to know it. "I didn't want you entertaining any hope of your butler's return. The fact of the matter is, I surrendered any chance of things going back to normal long ago."

"Klahadore…did you really mean them?"

"Not exactly. You see, I felt that way before I got to know you, and even for a while afterward." Klahadore explains. "Somewhere down the line, that must have changed...because after you lost your parents, I kept noticing more and more how much of myself I saw in you—it's like you were the daughter I never had. I could be myself around you more than anyone else, as long as I was not brutish. Setting a good example was not a burden with you because deep down, I somehow prioritized you over myself. My attempt to kill Merry…it should not have failed." He notices her facial expression. "I know this is difficult to hear, but it's the truth, Kaya." He usually only refers to her as 'Miss', but he finds himself calling her purely by name. "The person I've always been would never let his target live. As soon as you told me Merry was alive…I knew I had to amend my plan—not out of utility, but out of care for you and the people who trusted me. I realized…I already had what I wanted, and I was about to lose it."

"Y-You mean love?" Kaya wears her heart-warmed expression and places her hands near her heart, her large eyes sparkling with different tears.

"Actually, I meant peace of mind." Klahadore chuckles. "But if love is a part of it, I suppose I need that too, don't I?" To his astonishment, Kaya throws her arms around him and clings to him like a child to its parent. Shaking with sobs, she buries her face in his shoulder.

"I love you, Klahadore…" she whispers through her tears. "No matter what you've ever done! Please don't leave me again…" Klahadore remains frozen for a moment, then slowly raises his arms and holds her.

"I…I won't, Miss Kaya."

The next day, Miss Kaya and Merry both walk around more jovially than ever, although they seem a little uneasy at first around Klahadore.

 _That's only to be expected,_ Klahadore reasons. _I should be amazed they're letting me stay in my position._ Not to mention, they're also keeping his secret safe, if only because telling it would require breaking their pact with Usopp.

He knows he can hardly make up for anything he did, but Klahadore leaves a heartfelt note at Miss Kaya's bedside:

 _My Dear Miss Kaya,_

 _Thank you for giving me this second chance,_

 _And for mending a broken heart that was never whole to begin with._

 _With all sincerity,_

 _Your Humble Servant_

 _P.S._

 _You did an excellent job of tending to Merry's wounds._

 _You have a gift for healing, Miss Kaya!_

As a new anniversary present, Miss Kaya's giving Klahadore the day off, so while she and Merry give their surprise to Monkey D. Luffy (or so the Gum-Gum man's name is) and his crew, Klahadore decides to go out to town and bask in the peace of the day. Although, something feels missing…

" _Pirates are coming!_ " Carrot, Pepper, and Onion all run down the streets, continuing Usopp's work.

"Are they, now?" he inquires jokingly.

" _The pirates are coming!_ " they shout again and continue their route.

Klahadore smiles, knowing that at last he has found peace of mind.

 **So, what did you think? I wanted to include something about the Black Cats at the end, but that would be overkill.**

 **Please favorite and review. I would love to read your thoughts!**

 **Check out my other stories and my YouTube channel ;)!**

 **I do not own a single piece of One Piece!**


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